Kirk to Spock: Tiny Pluto moon to be named Vulcan

Feb. 26, 2013
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This 2005 image from the Hubble Space Telescope shows Pluto and three of it's five moons -- Charon, the largest, and Nix and Hydra. Two tiny moons discovered in the past two years will be named Vulcan and Cerebus, according to results of an online poll. / NASA

by Michael Winter, USA TODAY

by Michael Winter, USA TODAY

Humans have spoken: One of Pluto's smallest moons will be named Vulcan, the fictional alien world of Star Trek's Mr. Spock, and the mythical god of fire.

The name was suggested, logically, by half-human Spock's thoroughly human commanding officer, Capt. James T. Kirk, aka William Shatner, who trumpeted the winner Monday via Twitter:

174,062 votes and Vulcan came out on top of the voting for the naming of Pluto's moons. Thank you to all who voted! MBB

(For the uninitiated, Shatner's signoff stands for "My Best, Bill.")

The SETI Institute, which organized the naming, noted that Vulcan is the nephew of Pluto, the ruler of mythical hell. Two weeks ago, the institute's Mark Showalter wrote that any connection to the 1960s TV series was "purely coincidental, although we can be sure that Gene Roddenberry read the classics." He also thanked Shatner for the suggestion.